Apple announced AirPods Max 2 recently – the first meaningful update to its premium over-ear headphones since they launched back in 2020. If you missed the news, here’s what’s changed, and whether it’s worth your money.
What’s new
The short version: the outside is identical, but the inside is substantially better. The original AirPods Max received only one update in six years – a 2024 refresh that swapped Lightning for USB-C and did little else. AirPods Max 2 is the real upgrade, centered on Apple’s H2 chip replacing the original’s H1.
The headline improvement is noise cancellation. Apple claims ANC is now up to 1.5x more effective, and Transparency mode sounds more natural thanks to a revised digital signal processing algorithm.
Sound quality also gets a boost. The new model adds a high dynamic range amplifier for cleaner audio, improved Spatial Audio with better instrument localisation, and – when connected via USB-C – support for 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio.
H2 brings a handful of intelligent features that the original never had, to bring it up to speed with the latest AirPods Pro. Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts between ANC and Transparency depending on your environment, while Conversation Awareness lowers your music when you start speaking to someone nearby. Unlike the original, which requires manual switching between modes, the new model handles this automatically in the background.
Other additions include Voice Isolation for clearer calls, Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence, and a Camera Remote function that lets you use the Digital Crown as a shutter button for your iPhone. Bluetooth also upgrades from 5.0 to 5.3, bringing slightly reduced wireless latency – useful for gaming.
What hasn’t changed
The design is unchanged – same aluminium ear cups, mesh headband, and Digital Crown. Same five colours (midnight, starlight, blue, orange, purple). Same 20-hour battery life. And the same $549 price tag.
AirPods Max 2 are available to order from March 25, with availability beginning early April.